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Camp WARATAH
The Grade 3 and 4 students enjoyed a wonderful 3
day camp at Camp Waratah Bay. Everyone enthusiastically participated
in problem solving challenges that involved working as a team and
persisting to achieve success. Teachers were very impressed by the
independence the children demonstrated by keeping rooms tidy, making
their beds, packing their possessions and assisting with kitchen and
serving duties. Parents and teachers were entertained by the
brilliant camp concert. The hard work that the children had put into
their concert items was evident on the night. We would like to thank
of fantastic parents Warren Cay, Nicky Baumgartner, Donna Davies,
An-drew Kerr, Richard Hewett and Steve Pleasants for volunteering to
give up their time and assist us on camp. Despite a lot rain
everyone remained upbeat and cheerful and thoroughly enjoyed their
camp experience.
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Thank you for Camp Waratah from an attending
parent helper
Dear Mrs Walton
I am not usually one for writing but I have just experienced
one of my personal highlights, that is, attending as a
parent/helper at the grade 3/4 school camp at Waratah Bay.
I feel compelled to drop you a line about the fantastic time
we all had and more importantly to sing praise upon the
fantastic staff and students you have at Sandy East.
A few months ago I readily volunteered my services as a
parent helper on the school camp. I really wasn’t sure if
I would be selected or not. I tendered to think that some
of the parents who do a lot more at the school than I would
be the first cabs off the rank. I was thrilled when
advised I was one of the parents selected to attend. As
the camp date drew nearer I was filled with excitement and a
little nervous wondering if I had done the right thing. I
now know, it certainly was the right thing. After working
out some transport arrangements the exciting day arrived.
My son and I were packed nice and early and I am sure it was
the earliest he had ever arrived at school. After packing
the staff bags into my car, loading up the buses with
luggage and children and meeting the other parent/helpers
(some known, some about to be known) we set off following
the buses. The first stop was Koo Wee Rup, and a chance
for the kids to stretch their legs and a much needed toilet
break. The parents were tasked with going ahead and
obtaining coffee for all. Back on the bus and a very wet
trip to Waratah Bay. As if by magic or divine intervention
as we arrived the clouds immediately above Camp Waratah
parted and the sun shone down for a short while at least
anyway. Just enough time for us to unpack the bus.
The next few days were full of fun filled activities. We
had an invigorating night walk to the beach but
unfortunately the very high tide meant we couldn’t venture
onto it. The next day we had a full day of activities
organized by Camp Waratah. The activities concentrated on
team building and problem solving as well as a little bit of
an adrenalin rush on “The Big Swing”. On Thursday we had a
very brisk walk along the beach (in the rain) to Chicken
Rock and time to explore the rock pools. The kids found a
heap of crabs, colorful shells and a couple of Elephant
Snails. I had never seen these before. We were advised
the walk was only 2 kilometers each way but I can assure you
it felt a lot longer. We had some tired little ones when
we eventually made it back to camp. The walk back was much
more pleasant as the rain had stopped and the sun was out.
I don’t know how they did it but the kids put on a concert
that night and they delighted us all with their well
rehearsed dance and comedy routines. I was absolutely
staggered at the skill and performance levels of the kids.
Each and every one of them contributed and had fun. This
was the best night’s entertainment I have had for a long
time. They were genuinely funny and very talented. As a
guest judge I found it very difficult to choose a winner.
They were all winners though and they all deserved a
prize. The next morning was full of Camp Staff led indoor
activities that had the kids thinking and again working as a
team.
The food was fantastic and there seemed to be lots of it.
Despite the activities and long walks I’m sure I put on a
kilo or two. The staff at Camp Waratah were all excellent
and very professional.
I wanted to comment on all the staff and feel that it is
important that not only they received the feedback but every
parent deserves to know that our kids are in great hands.
We are very lucky at Sandy East to have such quality caring
teachers. Each and every one of them was fantastic. They
are so dedicated and genuinely love our kids. I am very
very impressed. Mrs. L deserves special mention as the
organizer/co-coordinator of the camp. She is a star. I
was also thrilled with the behavior of our kids. What a
wonderful bunch they are. They are all really good kids
with surprisingly good manners.
Steve, another parent, put it very well on the camp when he
explained how lucky he was to be chosen to be a part of the
camp and to share the experience of camp with our kids. He
said he was honored and I totally agree with him. I
recommend the experience of going on camp to all parents.
We are all busy I know and our work life is very important
but I would urge all parents if you can to take a little
time out and share the experience.
Thank you very much for the opportunity, I loved it. I
will be the first in line to put my hand up again but
totally understand if it is to be shared around.
Andrew K ( Parent ) |
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Grade 3/4 Australia Bound Incursion
The Grade 3’s and 4’s had an incursion called Australia Bound. We
had the incursion because our topic is “Australia who are we?” which
we all like. The incursion was a story about the history of
Australia. The convicts were called P.O.M.E’s which means Prisoner
or Property of Mother England. The reason they were sent to New
South Wales is because the prisons were full and the trip from
England to Australia took 9 months! The Australian Army soldiers
went around Australia looking for recruits for World War 1 and 2.
The actors were very funny and we learnt how people from other
countries migrated to Australia. By Tani and Jack |
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Grades 3-6 Swimming
The grade 3 to 6's enjoyed their
swimming program at Mentone aquatic centre. The students swim from
Monday to Thursday. During our lessons we practice strokes which
include backstroke, freestyle, breast stroke, survival backstroke
and butterfly. We enjoy going swimming and have a great time. Thank
you to all the parents who have come on the bus and helped us. By Bree and Karly
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The Royal Botanic Gardens
The Grade 3/4s went to the Botanic
Gardens, so we could learn more about gardens and plants. First of
all we went inside the glasshouse and took a look at the beautiful
tropical plants. After that we approached a lovely lake. While we
were there we had recess. We took a huge stroll through the Botanic
Gardens. Eventually I found the group and we
had our delicious lunch. Then we went to the Children's garden. A
lady called Linda came to see 3K and she took us to have a look at
succulent plants and one of them heals people's cuts. This plant is
called Aloe Vera. After we saw the giant oak trees we went back to
the Children's Garden. At the Children's Garden we planted leeks.
After we planted the leeks we took a huge walk through the tea-tree
cave. Then we walked through the bamboo cave. After we took a walk
through the bamboo cave we saw an old tree. She spoke to us and we
crawled through the old tree. That was in the Rainforest. Another
activity was when we went to see the worms. The worms were all slimy
and we were looking for the worms that had rings around them and
that means they are pregnant. Another activity is we got to plant
daffodils and peas. Then it was time to get on the bus and go back
to school. By the time we got back to school we were all tired.
By Mitch & Ben |
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Education Week
To celebrate Education Week, we enjoyed fun Literacy and
Numeracy activities across the school. Students were broken up in
multi-age groupings P - 2 and 3 - 6 so they could help and learn
from each other. Students were involved in activities such as Nin
Nin or Math millionaire and literacy games such „What am I?” or
Cracking Codes. Not only did the children have fun but they got to
know others within the school better.
A great day was had by all!
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Grade 3 Media Presentations
Grade 3s are very proud of the work they have completed in
media studies. All students in
Grade 3 participated in a special presentation morning using the
interactive whiteboard to share their group media projects.
"It was good to learn new things about making a powerpoint
presentation. I learnt how to make cool backgrounds for my slides
and how to copy photo's from the internet." Kai |
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Water Safety Awareness Week
Grade 3 and 4 students participated in
an activity at the Sandringham Yacht Club as part of Water Safety
Awareness Week. The children learnt about water and boating safety
from the instructors and then had the opportunity to sail in the
small boats. We would like to extend our thanks to the Sandringham
Yacht Club and the instructors for providing this worth-while
activity for our students. Thanks also to Andrew Newton for
providing a shuttle service in the SYC mini bus for all of the
students on the day.
Here are some of the students comments:-
"I sailed with Cohen. The tricky bit was having to change sides on
the boat and the direction of the sail when you turned the boat
around." Will
"It was a great experience to sail with a friend in an “Optimist”.
By the end of our time in the water we all got the hang of
controlling the sail and moving the tiller." Massey
"My favourite part was when the boat started to tip and some water
splashed in. Poppy swapped sides and the boat balanced again. It was
a fantastic experience." Emily
"I really enjoyed steering the boat when I was skipper. The wind
caught our sail and we went really fast." Danielle |
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Grade 3&4 Open Night Science Extravaganza
The Grade 3 and 4 students show-cased
their learning and understandings by holding a Science Expo. The
Grade 4 students commenced the evening with some jokes and a welcome
from Riley Flegeltaub and Courtney Wedderburn – two very wacky
scientists. Grade 4 scientists/students then participated in a Game
of Chase My Tail, a question and answer game involving specific
science questions:
Who invented the light bulb? Thomas Edison. What is the periodic
table? The famous table that organizes all known elements by their
atomic number? What happens when you mix bi-carbonate soda and
vinegar? It explodes!
Students then returned to their classrooms and demonstrated their
science skills and involved parents in Science Experiments. These
experiments were amazing. Students created slime, students made
sherbet, students showed how colours mix in milk, some made
exploding volcanoes, others grew crystals. Parents and students had
a terrific night.
We thank all parents and friends for attending.
We hope you all enjoyed the evening. |
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Active After School Communities
Our Active After School Communities Program has once again been
very successful this term. The children participating from Grades 3
to 6 are pictured trying out some alternative games using <fly swat>
type bats to get the ball over the line to score a goal. The AASC
program promotes active leisure and provides opportunity for
children to experience a range of interesting physical activities
whilst keeping fit and having fun. Thank you to Miss Hayward for
her wonderful organisation of the program and to the teachers who
assist with supervision. Without their support the program would not
operate. |
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Grade 3 Athletics Day
Grade 3 participated in house
athletics day. We competed in nine events, these events were high
jump, discus, vortex, triple jump, shot put, hurdles, distance run
and obstacle run. The last event was a bean bag relay which was a
house competition. At the presentation Mrs Lee and Mrs McGlashan
were giving out the ribbons. There was 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd
place and 4th place. After that we found out the over all scores.
They were - 4th place Batman on 338, 3rd place Hovel on 340, 2nd
place Sturt on 373 and in 1st place Mitchell on 404! By Rachel,
Cohen and Daniel. |
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Ralph Sinclair Comes to SEPS
BBOOOOOOOM!!! The cylinder filled with chemicals erupted on
Thursday. Ralph Sinclair came to Sandringham East Primary School. On
the first day he showed us some facts about energy. He taught us
about energy joules, the way objects earned energy joules & lost
energy joules. He told us there is a chemical that you can’t buy
anywhere in the world but he can make it at his house. Ralph brought
two cans of this chemical in a cylinder with two holes one at the
top and one on the side of the cylinder. He opened the top hole and
lit it and he told us the chemicals are right now racing to the
roof. Ralph told us that if the chemicals mix with air, the
chemicals explode and hit the roof. Thanks to Ralph for giving lots
of his time to help us with science. By Jack & Kyle. Crash! Bang!
Clutter! That was Ralph with his wacky science experiments helping
the Grade 3&4’s with his strange experiments that surprisingly
amazed us all. Ralph poked a satay stick through a balloon (It
didn’t pop!) He taught us about circuits, energy and Newton’s Law.
We made jumping beans out of foil and steel balls, otherwise known
as ball bearings. We learnt about lightning and how to be careful if
there is lightning near. Ralph taught us about dangerous circuits
and electrical circuits too. We saw a chemical that you couldn’t get
anywhere in the world except his place! When he opened the can and
lit the flame, we waited a couple of minutes, and it went BANG! We
enjoyed having Ralph here and we hope he returns to SEPS soon. By
Mikaela & Karly |
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National Tree Planting Day
National Tree Planting Day is an environmental
initiative of Planet Ark, with School Tree Day a part of the bigger
program.
National Tree Planting Day is being held. For
more information log onto http://treeday.planetark.com to find a
site where you can be part of this exciting and worthwhile
initiative. |
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School Tree Day
As part of the Schools Tree Day, students in
grades 1, 2 and 3 were part of a special tree planting activity.
Magnolia trees were planted in the sanctuary part of our school
garden as a memorial to two of our parents, Mr Phillip Bracchi and
Mr Adam Beck, who tragically passed away, in separate incidents,
earlier this year. This week also saw the next phase of our veggie
patch project - planting of seedlings. Andrew Newton assisted grades
with planting their veggie boxes on Monday and Tuesday. |
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Grade 3 LM Charm our Senior Citizens
On Wednesday Grade 3LM performed at Fairways
Senior Citizens home. The children played recorder, sang a Torres
Strait Islanders lullaby and performed a dance to the song ‘I Don’t
Feel Like Dancing.’ The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance
calling out for an encore which the children gladly performed. The
students enjoyed chatting with the residents at Fairways before
heading back to school.
Congratulations to 3LM on a wonderful
performance and beautiful manners on the day. They certainly brought
much joy to the audience. |
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Medieval Banquet for Grades 3 & 4
The good people of Grades 3 and 4 enjoyed a sumptuous
Medieval Banquet. They feasted hungrily on
lamb cutlets, chicken drumsticks, corncobs, fresh bread, apples,
grapes, apple pies and jam tarts washed down with apple juice drunk
from their tankards and goblets. Entertainment was provided by Jake
the Jester, who told a wonderful story involving many of the
students as characters, and finished with some folk dancing.
Special thanks go to the wonderful group of mothers who helped
with cooking, preparing and serving the feast and to all parents who
provided their
children with such impressive and inventive costumes. |
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Grade 3 & 4 Visit the Woodwork Room
Grade 3 and 4 children had an
excursion to the “Wood Work Room”.
“I had a great time at the Wood Work Room. Our
medieval castles with retracting draw bridges looked terrific.” Jack
“We hammered, mowed and sawed and at the end we ended up with lots
of models of castles.” Alex |
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SEPS Triathlete Visit
SEPS was fortunate to have three of the
fastest triathletes in Australia come and speak to our Grade 3-6’s.
The athletes took time out of their busy schedules to speak to the
students about triathlon, their experiences in international racing
and what their training involved. The students were shown the
wetsuits, race bikes, equipment and shoes the athletes use in their
racing. It was a fantastic way to expose SEPS students to a
different sport and hopefully promote triathlon and active
lifestyles in the community.
The children all had the opportunity to participate in a triathlon
clinic. Each student bought in a swim cap and goggles from home to
be involved in a triathlon transition race. The students had to run,
take off their goggles and cap, then run a circuit of the oval.
We were very appreciative of the athletes providing such a wonderful
experience for our students. |
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Arrabri Camp
Our Year 3 / 4 students enjoyed
a fabulous three days at Arrabri Lodge in Warburton. The reports
from the children have all been fantastic; it was a very successful
camp. The staff have also ‘sung the praises’ of the students for the
manner in which they participated in the camp. I would like to
publicly thank the staff involved in the camp. I know only too well how much
time and effort goes into the organization and planning to ensure
that the camp is a safe and enjoyable experience for all. As well,
the time and energy required while on camp, with all staff being on
duty 24 hours a day is a huge commitment.
I would also like to thank our parents who volunteered to attend the camp as well and jumped in
to support the staff. Without their support, it would be impossible
to run our camping program.
Unfortunately, in our society nowadays many
schools are withdrawing from camping and excursion programs as staff
are reluctant to take on this responsibility and the legal
liability. While camping programs and excursions are not mandatory
for schools, they have become part of the fabric of what our school
offers because staff know the enormous educational and social
benefits that can be derived from them.
We are fortunate at Sandy East to have a staff that is committed to
our camping and excursion programs. |
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Melbourne Football Club visits SEPS
Our Grade 3s were privileged to have
enjoyed a football clinic with several Melbourne Football Club
players. The children learned various skills and the importance of
discipline AND they
had a really fun time. |
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Grade 3’s and 4’s Yarra River Cruise.
Grades 3 and 4 went on an excursion on the Yarra River. The boat
we went on was called the MV Melbourne star. There were a lot of
interesting things to see. On the cruise there was a man called
Michael who gave us the tour. The first thing we went under was the
Princes Bridge it is very old and big. We went under Queen’s Bridge,
which is very small because it originally carried lots of carts and
horses. One of the best things we saw was the Clipper, Polly
Woodside. We went past Flinders Street station; it is the oldest
station in Australia and one of the oldest in the world.
While we were in Docklands we saw the Southern Star which is a
ferris wheel, being built.
We Discovered Some Interesting Facts:
- The West Gate Bridge is 5.9 kilometers long in 1970 it fell down
and 5 workers died
- The Bolte Bridge is turning ten years old. It was named after Sir
Henry Bolte a former Premier of Victoria
- There are Fish in the Yarra River
- Sometimes you can see dolphins and seals in the Yarra River
- The Eureka Tower is Melbourne’s tallest building and has 92 floors
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Medieval Feast Day
I was a lady's daughter. I wore a white dress
and a sur coat with a rope around my waist and black shoes.
At the banquet we ate chicken drumsticks,
chicken wings, lamb cutlets. corn on the cob, bread, apple pie, jam
tarts, and fruit-apples and grapes.
The Guests were entertained by jesters and
musicians. |
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Art Work by Grade 3 Students |
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